The Little Known Natural Oasis In Hawaii That’ll Be Your New Favorite Destination

Tucked away off of Oahu’s Pali Highway in the lush Nu’uanu Valley, is a magnificent natural oasis that will certainly offer a welcome respite from the stresses of daily life. You’ll find a trail so far removed from society that you might – on a weekday – be hiking on your own for quite some time. While the trail to Lulumahu Falls can be difficult to follow at times, making it easy to get lost, there are four major points of interest: a beautiful bamboo forest, the Nu’uanu Resevoir and surrounding field, the actual waterfall, and the nearby Kaniakapupu ruins.

The entrance to this unsanctioned hiking trail can be found off the Pali Highway, where years of use has made a sort of make-shift parking lot leading to the popular hike. The first stretch of your journey will take you through old hunting grounds, and a dense bamboo forest.

Once you’ve admired the beautiful scene straight out of the Sound of Music, you should continue along a dirt path, and up another series of stairs that mark the beginning of the jungle trail to the waterfall. Hikers will then have to pass over a damn, and cross the streambed.

The small single story, three-tiered structure was constructed with western influence and the guidance of Hawaiians - for example the slightly off-centered windows were built as such in order to ward off the spirits of the Night Marchers, who are commonly thought to roam the area near the Pali Lookout.

Out of respect for this unprotected historic site, and in light of recent vandalism, we are choosing to refrain from giving out exact directions to the waterfall and ruins, even though I have to admit that the graffiti certainly makes for a dynamic photograph.

The trail is in a restricted watershed area, and hikers need to apply for a permit in order to make the trek legally, but trust us, it’s totally worth the hassle. This is actually one of my favorite Oahu hiking trails, and I take everyone who visits on this beautiful journey through the Hawaiian jungle.